Forever
by Moneybags
Summary: this is *finsihed* yay! anyway, it's one of the shortest stories that i've written ... but it's a sad one ... i cried writing it ...


Title: Forever  
  
Author: me!  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Email: babygrand917@yahoo.com  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the newsies, Sarah, Michele, Janet, Becca, Sam and Laura own themselves, ask them if you want them in a story. I own Dianna, and that is all. I used the lyrics from the song "Here in My Heart" by Plus One. They own the song, not me. Go ahead and sue, but I have nothing.  
  
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"Well all miss 'er." Spot gave one of his best friends a hug. Jack had slung himself over the coffin, crying softly. Just three weeks ago, everything was so normal, but that had changed quickly. The news had spread quickly, and now all of Jack's closest friends and all of his newsies were with him at the graveyard. Even the DeLanceys were there.  
  
"C'mon Jack, ya just gotta let go." Whispered Mush, another one of Jack's close friends.  
  
Jack was still motionless, lying of the coffin murmuring softly to himself. Several gravediggers were waiting impatiently, wanting to get the job done.  
  
"Jack," Racetrack went over to Jack. "We gotta hurry up." But Jack still hadn't budged. Race looked to Spot and Blink, who came over and started to help Race pry Jack off of the coffin.  
  
"No, no, no." Jack whimpered, not wanting to leave. "I promised dat I wouldn't leave 'er." But regardless of Jack's feeble protests, Spot, Blink, Race and Mush managed to get Jack off and away to a nearby park bench. Sam left Oscar's side and went over to say their last good-bye's, as did Michele, Dianna, Janet, Becca, and Laura. They had all put a pink rose on her coffin, as it was lowered into the pre-dug hole. Then all of the Manhattan Newsies, and some from Queens, Bronx and of course Brooklyn went over to the grave, put flowers in the hole as the workers were shoveling dirt upon the coffin.  
  
The funeral was earlier that day, and all the newsies had taken a day off of selling to help their leader. Jack had proved strong up until the funeral, when he lost it. He just started crying, and hadn't stopped since then. The sad procession made it back to the Lodging House, with Jack and some other guys in the middle.  
  
It all started three weeks ago, when Sarah was stuck out in the rain selling papers with Jack. A month before, he had asked her to be his girl, and from that moment on the two couldn't be separated. Sarah could feel a cold coming on the next day, but when Jack asked her if she was all right, she assured him that she was fine. A week later Sarah still hadn't gotten better, and she had caught a really bad cough. Several days passed and Jack really started to worry about her, but he still believed that she was fine, like Sarah had told him. 4 days later, Jack had found Sarah unconscious in the bunkroom.  
  
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Wherever you are tonight girl  
  
I'll see you in my dreams  
  
Wherever I go tomorrow  
  
You'll be here next to me  
  
  
  
And though we are a world apart  
  
I know you'll never be that far  
  
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3 days earlier  
  
"Hey Jack," Sarah tried to hide her cough. "I'll be right back, I'm going up to the bunkroom to get somet'ing for you."  
  
"Okay, but hurry back, 'kay?" Jack looked lovingly at Sarah, hoping that she wouldn't be long. After a half-hour of waiting, Jack finally decided to see what was taking her so long.  
  
"Hey Jack." Race looked at Jack. "Goin' upstairs?"  
  
"No, I'se goin' down in da cellah." Jack laughed at Race's face when he said that. "Yeah, Sarah went up a while ago, an' I'se gonna go find her."  
  
"Ha ha cowboy." Race fiddled with his cigar. "can ya lemme know if Dianna's up dere? I didn't t'ink dat she came home yet, but jus' checkin'."  
  
"Sure t'ing Race." Jack headed up the stairs, turning into the bunkroom. His heart skipped a couple of beats as he saw what was before him. Sarah was on the floor, and no one else was in the bunkroom. Jack ran over to Sarah and hoped that she just had fallen asleep. "Sarah ." he called her name as he shook her. "Sarah." He tried a second time, a little louder. "Sarah?" Still no response. "Sarah!" panic filled his voice and when that didn't work, he yelled "Guys! Help!"  
  
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'Cause here in my heart  
  
There's a picture of us  
  
Together forever  
  
Unfaded and unbroken  
  
  
  
Wherever you are  
  
Your love covers me  
  
Forever more you'll be  
  
Here in my heart  
  
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Needless to say, Sarah was taken to the "Emergency Room" at the hospital for the poor, and Jack stayed there the whole night waiting to hear from a doctor, nurse, anyone. No one was allowed in the room that Sarah was in, and hardly anyone came in or out. Race had stayed with Jack, just to make sure he was all right there. Finally, around 4 in the morning, a nurse confronted Jack.  
  
Later that night .  
  
"Are you Jack Kelly?" she asked Race, who was the only one awake.  
  
"No, he is." He pointed to Jack sitting next to him. He gently shook Jack awake, and motioned to the nurse.  
  
Jack woke with a start, and when he realized that a nurse needed to speak with him. "I'se Jack Kelly. I'se waitin' far a girl called-"  
  
"Sarah? She is awake, and keeps on asking for you." The nurse looked at her clipboard. "I have an update on her, and you need to listen to me closely." Jack nodded and waited for her to go on. "She has pneumonia, and it's too late for her. She has about a week left."  
  
Jack sank to the ground like he was just pierced with a sword in his stomach.  
  
"Is he going to be all right?" the nurse asked, getting impatient. "I have many other patients that I have to take care of."  
  
"Dere ain't nothin' dat ya can do?" Race questioned, appalled by her cold- heartedness.  
  
"If there was, I doubt that you would have the money to pay for the expenses." She looked to her clipboard. "she's in room 306, bed 5." And with no other words, she left.  
  
Race was dumbfounded for a while. 'How can anyone be dat cold?' he thought. He remembered Jack at that moment, and sank down to let him know the information he had found out. "C'mon Jack. Da nurse said dat she was askin' far ya." Race noticed that Jack was crying softly. "Ya gotta be strong. She'd do da same far ya."  
  
"Race! Do you have any idea what ya said?" Jack stopped crying and was almost yelling. "I jus' found out dat da one person dat I love da most in me life is dyin'!"  
  
"Ya right." Race confessed softly. "But ya still should see 'er."  
  
"I am, ya moron." Jack went to go to her room, but then, rather ashamed, walked back to Race. "What did da nurse say was her room number?"  
  
"Room t'ree o' six, bed five." Race replied. "Do ya want me to come?"  
  
"Naw, I'll be fine." Jack turned once again, but then thought about it twice and looked back and mouthed "thanks" to Race. Race nodded and watched Jack walk back off. Sighing, Race sat down and tried to get a little sleep.  
  
Jack walked down the hall till he came to room 306, and he quietly opened the door. He found Sarah with no trouble, he could recognize her anywhere. She was awake and looking at the ceiling. "Sarah?" he quietly called.  
  
"Jack!" she cried out hoarsely. "You came." She closed her eyes, and breathed deeply.  
  
"O' course I did." Jack sat down on a chair. "How ya feelin'?"  
  
"I'se sorry, I shoulda told ya earlier." Sarah tried to talk, but was obviously having trouble.  
  
"Don't be sorry far anyt'ing." Jack put his hand on her head, stroking her hair. "I'se hear now, dats awl dat mattahs."  
  
"Jack?" She spoke anyway.  
  
"shh . don't talk." He put his finger over her lips.  
  
"I have to." Sarah looked at Jack, and he guessed by her look that it was important. "You remember what I was goin' ta get?"  
  
"I remembah you said ya were gonna get somet'ing." Jack looked at her, soaking up every detail of her face.  
  
"When you go back, it will be under my bunk." Sarah wasn't going to say anymore, she got the important thing out.  
  
"Ya not gonna tell me?" Jack smiled.  
  
"Nope." She managed to say.  
  
"Hey, get some sleep." Jack yawned. "I'se gonna be right here when ya wake up."  
  
"I love you, Jack." Sarah sleepily yawned and nodded  
  
"I love you'se too, more den anyt'in'," Jack ran his hand through her blonde hair and not to long after, she drifted off to sleep. When she was asleep, Jack nodded off as he put his head back against the wall.  
  
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Whenever I miss you so much  
  
It's more than I can bear  
  
I won't cry, I'll just close my eyes  
  
And know that you'll be there  
  
  
  
Your kiss and your touch I'll never forget  
  
'Cause you're as close as my very next breath  
  
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The next morning, Sarah died. When Jack woke up, she was already gone. Jack actually woke up to the sound of nurses and doctors talking about what they were going to do about the body. Apparently, there was an epidemic of pneumonia going around, and the morgue was already full. They found Jack and dumped him with this mess to take care of.  
  
Race was waiting for Jack out in the waiting room, right where he was last night. A nurse was leading Jack out, telling Jack some information and writing something down on paper. After she had left Jack went over to Race and just gave his friend a long hug.  
  
"She's gone, Race, she's gone." Jack managed to say and looked over the paper again. "Forever."  
  
"What do ya mean she's gone?" Race's eyes grew wide as he feared the worst.  
  
"She passed this mornin', while she was still sleepin'." Jack was still numb and nothing seemed real. "We have two days until the morgue can do what they want."  
  
Race was just getting over the fact that Sarah wasn't here anymore. "But the nurse said that she had a week!"  
  
"Yeah, but life ain't fair." Jack looked at the address. "C'mon, we gotta get to the morgue and start planning this."  
  
Just then, Blink and Mush walked in. "Hey Jack. What's goin' on?" Blink asked, after he didn't get an answer and saw the grim looks on Jack's and Race's faces.  
  
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'Cause here in my heart  
  
There's a picture of us  
  
Together forever  
  
Unfaded and unbroken  
  
Wherever you are  
  
Your love covers me  
  
Forever more you'll be here  
  
Here in my heart  
  
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All that morning, Race and Jack were planning Sarah's funeral. Many of the boys were running errands, and later that day Spot showed up. There was a collection for the hospital bill, which was growing steadily. The weather was quite nice, a warm Mayday. Blink had found two men who would dig a grave, for a small fee. Dianna, Michele, Sam, Laura, Janet and Becca started to go through some of her things, but then decided that Jack should have that honor. Needless to say, it was a very long and tiring day.  
  
Jack couldn't sleep that night, and just when he was finally getting some real sleep, he woke up from a nightmare that he had.  
  
Sarah was sinking slowly, in the middle of the ocean. Jack could almost reach her, just a little but further . and then suddenly he heard a blood- curling scream, and saw Sarah drown right in front of his eyes.  
  
Jack had dreams like this throughout the night, he didn't sleep well at all. The next morning he got up, and looked around. 'No Sarah . it wasn't a dream .' his thoughts drifted while he was getting ready for the funeral.  
  
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And now it was the night after the funeral, 2 days ago Jack was at the hospital, waiting for Sarah. Sarah. That was all he could think of. He had replayed every moment that he had spent with her. Jack let the tears flow, silently. It was late at night, and Jack knew that most of the boys were asleep. He played the conversation over and over that night with Sarah in the hospital.  
  
"You remember what I was goin' ta get?"  
  
"I remembah you said ya were gonna get somet'ing."  
  
"When you go back, it will be under my bunk."  
  
It hit him then. Without a second thought, he got up from his bunk, and headed over to where Sarah's bunk was. He looked around. 'just the way she left it.' Carefully, he got down on the floor and looked under the bunk. There he found a box, with a note on it. It read "Thinking of you always, this is for Santa Fe. Love, Sarah."  
  
Jack found himself quietly crying again. He lifted the lid and there he found it, a black cowboy hat.  
  
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And though we are a world apart  
  
I know you'll never be that far  
  
  
  
'Cause here in my heart  
  
There's a picture of us  
  
Together forever  
  
Unfaded and unbroken  
  
Wherever you are  
  
Your love covers me  
  
Forever more you'll be  
  
Here in my heart  
  
~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~$~ 


End file.
